My betta seems to have swim bladder disorder. He stays to the top of the tank which is 2.5 gallons. I change his water

Hi.

Before recommending a treatment for swim bladder disorder (sbd) I just wanted to make sure the fish actually has it as the symptoms you describe are not totally indicitave of sbd.

You mentioned that the fish stays at the top of tank, is the fish in an upright position, is it sideways or upside down?

At what temperature is the water usually maintained?

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Thank you for the information.

I must say that everything you've done so far is excellent. The water temperature is fine, the daily water changes are excellent and Betta Revive is an ideal broad spectrum medicine to use. Using aquarium salt is also beneficial.

I'm still not 100% sure that this is a bona fide case of sbd as lethargy is not usually one of the symptoms of sbd but in either case you could administer the classic remedy for sbd which is feeding canned peas without the husk/shell. I would recommend feeding 1/2 pea twice a day for 7 days. Feed the pea diet exclusively. Peas will somethimes clear out a fish's swim bladder of excess air which is one of the primary causes of sbd.

It would be helpful to clean out any uneaten portions of peas after feeding as deteriorating food will cause water quality problems.

In addition to the pea diet I usually recommend administering an anti-bacterial medicine but you've already done this by using Betta Revive.

Now the only concern I have with the use of Betta Revive is to make sure it hasn't inadvertantly been overdosed. I know the instructions state that the medicine should not be used for more than 7 days. So if you have been using Betta Revive on a continuous basis for more than 7 days it would be best to cease administering it.

I'm sure you're probably aware of this, bettas do not take well to water that has a medium to strong current. They actually prefer no current at all.

Something important to note and this could actually be at the root of the problem:

the average life span for bettas is around 2 years. They're usually put up for sale when they're 1 year old.

So in essence if you've had a betta for 1 or more years it's basically advanced in age, a senior fish. The ramifications of this are that as a fish becomes old it tends to be more susceptible to diseases and health problems which are sometimes difficult if not impossible to cure. Only you would have an idea of the betta's age but this is something to keep in mind.

Try the pea diet, keep up with the water changes, making sure to not let the water parameters vary to much when changing the water, and the fish might just be able to bounce back.

Best wishes and please let me know if you have any questions.

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Peas are the only known food remedy to help sbd.

Aside from the pea diet the medicine I usually recommend is one called Maracyn-Two, click on link below for a view of the product. Maracyn-Two is easily found at most major pet stores where fish are sold.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4615+4842&pcatid=4842

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I'm usually in favor of adding epsom salts to the water or epsom salt baths when there's swelling or bloating in the fish as the salts will sometimes help draw out the accumulated fluid but as there was no mention of swelling/bloating I did not want to unnecessarily advise it.

If you feel this would be worth a try then please remember that epsom salts are not dosed like aquarium salt. The salt to water ratio is much lower. The dosage level should be 1 teaspoon of epsom salts per every 5 gallons of water.

Thank you for your accept and kind feedback.

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Yes continue with the aquarium salt but make sure to check the dosage level which is generally 1 tablespoon per every 5 gallons of water. You could even add a bit more without causing any problems.

Note: if the water already contains aquarium salt then it only needs to be added to the corresponding amount of water that will be added when a water change is done.

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You're most very welcome and I do hope the fish makes a full and speedy recovery.

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